Predicting the Notre Dame defensive line depth chart following the transfer portal addition of former Oregon DT Tionne Gray 

Previewing what the Notre Dame defensive tackle rotation could look like heading into the 2026 college football season.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Tionne Gray (50) celebrates a blocked field goal during the second quarter against the James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Notre Dame football continued its tremendous run on the transfer portal trail on Thursday when the program managed to earn a commitment from former Oregon defensive tackle Tionne Gray. The 6-6, 336-pound behemoth projects to figure into the nose tackle rotation very early on, which is a huge boost of size and natural ability. With head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish also adding defensive end Keon Keeley (Alabama) and defensive tackle Francis Brewu (Pitt), the defensive line depth chart is going to look very different heading into the 2026 college football season.

While it is a long time until the end of August, it is never too early to project what the depth chart could look like heading into the season. In a lot of ways, this defensive front could make or break Notre Dame’s chances to win a national championship in 2026. Here is a little bit about Gray, the team’s newest addition, as well as my early depth chart projection at the very end.

Tionne Gray’s career background

Despite Gray possessing an insane amount of raw talent, his recruiting rankings were all over the place. Gray ended up a four-star player on the 247 Sports Composite ranking, while multiple services had him rated as a three-star. On that specific ranking, the former St. Louis (Mo.) Hazelwood Central finished ranked as the No. 422 overall player, the No. 46 defensive lineman, and the No. 9 player in the state of Missouri for the 2024 recruiting class.

While his rankings weren’t exceptional, the Missouri native had quite a few impressive options. Some of his top offers included the Ducks, Tennessee, Washington, Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas State, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, and Minnesota, among several others. The market for Gray is going to be even larger this time around. Funny enough, Gray’s comparison on the 247 Sports page is former Irish defensive tackle Jerry Tillery.

The redshirt freshman became a valuable member of the Oregon defensive tackle rotation in 2025. In 13 games, Gray recorded 18 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and one blocked kick. As a pure nose tackle, the box score does not tell the full story about just how impactful Gray was this past year.

Projected defensive line depth chart 

Here is how I project the Notre Dame defensive line depth chart heading into the 2026 college football season.

First team

DE: Boubacar Traore (RS Jr.) 

DT: Francis Brewu (Jr.) 

NT: Tionne Gray (RS So.)

DE: Bryce Young (Jr.) 

Second team

DE: Loghan Thomas (Jr.) 

DT: Armel Mukam (RS Jr.) 

NT: Elijah Hughes (Sr.) 

DE: Keon Keeley (RS Jr.) 

Third team

DE: Dominik Hulak (RS Fr.) 

DT: Christopher Burgess (RS Fr.) or Cole Mullins (RS So.)

NT: Sean Sevillano (RS So.) 

DE: Rodney Dunham (Fr.)

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